So begun the last (but impossibly far from the least) day of Splendour In The Grass. It had become a familiar tale of emerging from a cold winter’s night into a unseasonably warm day, a look of puzzlement followed closely by realisation before ecstasy in elation for what lay ahead. While both performers and attendees alike leave and arrive on different days, the fluctuation has no detrimental effect; in fact it amplifies the celebration.
The first time this writer had witnessed Melbourne’s post-punk-rock trio The Peep Tempel was in much smaller surroundings at the Stonecutters mini-festival at Freemasons Hall in Adelaide. Comparably to their early slot at the amphitheatre at Splendour on this final day, the band maintained the same intensity and vigour in both settings. The three-piece maintain their aggressive, honest and feverous attitude no matter what the occasion. Carol and Big Fish were clear favourites with their Joy Division Aussie Swagger vehemence and clearly this was a rather solid start to day three.
If there was an artist to get hundreds (possibly thousands) out of their tents, beds or wherever else they were rising from at an early stage, the Gold Coast’s Amy Shark was THE woman to do it. Movement at the GW McLennan tent was an impossibility, fans were climbing the support beams (and falling) to grasp a look and sing-along to her emotive indie-pop hits. Middle Of The Night, Superman (Eminem cover), Weekends, Deleted and of course the Triple J Hottest 100 success story Adore were monumental. Truthfully, this songstress could have left the entirety of the set to the audience to perform, but I think Australia all agrees, it’s nice to have Ms. Shark home.
The North Byron Parklands had an escalated vibrancy to them and it was Wil Wagner and his six-piece backing musical army, better known as Melbourne’s emotional folk punk rock powerhouse The Smith Street Band’s turn to capitalise on the spiritedness. Forrest, Birthdays, Shine, Ducks Fly Together andYoung Drunk were genuine anthems for the sea of attendees to appreciate and treasure, which is probably one of the best ways to describe the honest songwriter and storyteller, a treasure.
Sometimes it is custom to experience performances at festivals which maybe a little “left of centre” – to be frank, it is these circumstances that make for the best memories. Melbourne’s indielectronica-pop outfit Client Liaison exist in the “grey” area, but there is no doubt their oddity is electrifying even with Vanilla Ice meets Lionel Richie fashion stylings. Where Do We Belong (with didgeridoo), Pretty Lovers, Feel The Rhythm (including back-up dancers), Do It My Way (Fosters giveaway to the audience) and a cover of Stardust’s Music Sounds Better With You were engaging and celebratory. However, when guest vocalist and Australian musical royalty Tina Arena arrived on stage, the party really began. Duets for A Foreign Affair, Sorento Moon and Womack & Womack’s Teardrops were colossal. Off White Limousine closed out the show, but at this point Client Liason’s footprint had been completely absorbed.
Maintaining the eschew idea, Perth psychedelic-rockers POND transported their onlookers into their weird and wonderful universe utilising songs such as: Sweep Me Off My Feet, Colder Than Ice, Don’t Look At The Sun Or You Will Go Blind and End Of The World Pt 1. It might not fit in everybody’s laundry basket, the performance though is a lot of fun and what better suits a festival?
Moving to a different universe owned by leaders in post-rock, Iceland’s Sigur Rós (albeit not the full band) transformed the entirety of the event. This was astronomically beautiful – a soundscape and atmosphere that almost seemed multidimensional and without boundaries. Visually it was astounding, aurally this was rapturous and although beginning to describe what was witnessed is a practically unfeasible – it has to be witnessed if there is a bucket list for readers out there.
It had been a long journey, “Patience” was beyond a virtue and somehow it seemed to all lead up to the moment where New York’s rock legends LCD Soundsystem would combine their infamous dance-punk-electronic-rock to practically a city of its own own as Splendour In The Grass. It was lucid, surreal, eloquent, divine and in another galaxy of sorts, especially All My Friends (a very suiting anthem considering the spirit of the event). It is too many years between albums for this musical luminary, let’s forget they ever went on hiatus because thankfully they are back and Splendour In The Grass thank you for bringing them, over a hundred more acts and most importantly music and art into the beautiful community you have created.
Splendour In The Grass
North Byron Parklands
21-23 July 2017
By Will Oakeshott
Sunday 23rd July 2017
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